Return to MUSA 801 Projects Page
This project was completed as part of the Master in Urban Spatial Analytics Spring 2021 Practicum instructed by Ken Steif, Michael Fichman, and Matt Harris. We thank our instructors as well as Dexter Locke and Lara Roman from the United States Forest Service for their feedback and help navigating the data.
This document is intended to help other researchers replicate a study of tree canopy loss linked to spatial risk factors. We first introduce our motivation, followed by data exploration and analysis, and finally predictive modeling. We include hyperlinks thorough our document and in the appendix for reproducibility. Our hope is that this document and our policy tool can help tree planting agencies, tree advocates, and the interested public understand the forces contributing to tree canopy loss in Philadelphia and imagine different scenarios for our tree canopy based on construction.